


Rise of the Forsaken

by NoxExtractum



Category: Shiki (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Blood and Gore, Demons, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Horror, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Other, Psychological Drama, Psychological Horror, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Survival Horror, Vampire Turning, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 11:28:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25470040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoxExtractum/pseuds/NoxExtractum
Summary: When Natsuno Yuuki moves to the small town of Sotoba, he steels himself to make it easier for his eventual escape. He never thought that he would meet someone that would make him want so much more, and hurt unlike ever before. This is a retelling of the story of Shiki, but with a re-route to the storyline. M/M Between Natsuno and Tooru.Updates every Thursday (unless I can get them up faster).
Relationships: Mutou Tooru & Yuuki Natsuno
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	Rise of the Forsaken

Shiki: Rise of the Forsaken  
Prologue: Death, Be Not Proud

\-------------------

“Death, be not proud, though some have called thee  
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;  
For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow  
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.  
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,  
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,  
And soonest our best men with thee do go,  
Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.  
Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,  
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,  
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well  
And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?  
One short sleep past, we wake eternally  
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die."

\--John Donne (1633)

\-------------------

The dead do not sleep. The dead do not dream. They are not warm, nor do they love or cry. The dead are passionless. The dead are tame. The dead remain in the dirt and rot. Down to bones and dust, do they return, devoured by the Earth their Mother. Nature has Her course, Her way. Her path must be unperturbed, undisturbed, lest the occurrence become vile and corrupt. Sinister and deadly. Her flow of life and death remain an unbroken chain for the times’ long. 

God created Her, and in turn both created life and perpetually death. The chain was forever to remain unbroken, unchanging. Cycle upon cycle, the arise. Then the fall. Scaling up and up and in growth, power peaked. But, as one should know that with the rise there must be a descent. No matter the entity. No matter the who. Death is equal in Its givings, for They have no bias. 

Except there was one whose deceit would begin this manner of telling. One soul who wronged the Three by defiling the word of Him by a farce, a lie by another that has since gone unnamed. God had become so angry with his child that this soul had been bestowed a punishment so vile that it fit for the betrayal of the love by Him. This soul would not die, but they would. Each of this man’s family and blood would eventually succumb to this disease. Each would not die an earthly death. The curse forevermore until all blood returned to the soil. With God’s judgement, Earth’s mother gave up on them. Forgiveness would never come, not until the sentence was carried out. 

Death, be not proud. Death you wander and strive. Death you watch over them. Waiting for the day to finally claim. To the depths you shall take, for mercy has all but faltered. Yet you love them, in this passionate game. Cat and mouse. Predator and prey. Perhaps one is the other, you think, but perhaps not. Death be not proud. You never rule for long.

\-------------------

The village of Sotoba is surrounded by death. At least, one can argue such a statement as the fir trees that surround the village are quite the staple. The trees have a short lifespan of about two hundred years, to which they are chopped down and made into stakes called sotoba stands. Each stand is given to a grave to the buried dead. The marker remains there for thirty-three years before it is removed and a tree is planted in the deceased’s memory.

At this point, all trace of them has been consumed. All the nutrients sapped by the tree that soon takes root and grows, feeding on the leftovers. This cycle of life and death has always been the norm for the village and is not seen as anything but tradition. Perhaps to an outsider, the concept of being completely surrounded by the dead would prove to be eerie or off-putting, but the fact remains. 

The way of life has not changed in Sotoba in many years. Being one of the only remote and rural areas in Japan that has not grown in number of persons, nor declined. This country side has been steeped in traditions that range from festivals to the expectations of those who dwell within the borders of the fir trees. Completely isolated and virtually cut off by the outside world by natural order, the very village is in the shape of the tip of a spear. One way in, and one way out.

Perhaps one of the stories that may be of interest would be of the tales of the okiagari. The okiagari were creatures that stole any who traveled by night. Young or old they would be snatched away. But these tales were few and far inbetween. None were meant to be taken seriously. Simply told to children to keep them home by nightfall. 

Generally speaking, the people here lead simple lives, and have simple deaths. No person is immune to death. Young or old, in perfect health or in ailing. It matters not and death has no bias. At least, none that are of the descent of the man who wronged God. 

\-------------------  
Prologue End

**Author's Note:**

> Notes from the author: 
> 
> To clarify, this is a partial retelling of the story Shiki. This partial retelling will be as accurate as possible to the main story, while clarifying/digging deeper into the characters. Once the story gets to a certain point, there will be a divergence and a different direction will be taken. There will be BL in this story but it will be carefully written and not exploited for fanservice. 
> 
> There will be no honorifics. I do understand that this anime/story does originate in Japan, but I did not want anything mixed up or confusing. I will still be referring to the characters by their last names unless they are close/related. 
> 
> Some of the characters will have their ages upped for various reasons. This will be stated in the story and the character’s name/age will be listed at the end of each chapter. If a character dies, the character’s name and death date will be listed again at the end of the chapter.
> 
> Please refer to the map of Sotoba here: https://comicvine1.cbsistatic.com/uploads/original/11120/111204187/5444918-16.jpg 
> 
> Warnings in this story: There will be large counts of death, maiming, gore, etc. If you have read/watched Shiki you will understand. There may be sexual themes in the story, but this will be later on, this will be flagged if/when it does happen.


End file.
